The I, CULTURE crafts project kicks off this Saturday in the courtyard of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of Warsaw's Museum Night programme. The project will oversee the sewing of a huge patchwork quilt created in collaboration with hundreds of volunteers and participants from across the globe. The event in Warsaw launches the project, which will then continue on to each of the remaining 11 cities over the course of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council
The project is an attempt at answering the question: as a mechanised and strongly digitalised civilisation, what might we leave behind as a trademark of contemporary craftsmanship for future generations?
Which crafts will survive? What will be the legacy of the digital age? Why do we buy new shirts and sweaters instead of going to a tailor? I, CULTURE volunteers have shared their thoughts and predictions, threading together an informal history of craftsmanship, along with ideas on how to illustrate their own independent designs. Each volunteer received a sewing machine and a quick guide to sewing skills and techniques, ranging from 'treadle' to 'appliqué'. On May 14, they share their newfound know-how with anyone and everyone who'd like to join in putting together the first piece of the I, CULTURE puzzle.
The first designs to be sewn onto the patchwork include images representing the value of traditional workshops, spiked throughout with fantasy costumes for a craftsman superhero. The results of the volunteers' collaboration with Monika Jakubiak are on view beginning May 14 at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, ul. Mokotowska 25. The courtyard in front of the building will be transformed into a giant sewing workshop, where anyone can feel like a tailor for a day and have a hand in creating the first square of the I, CULTURE quilt. Subsequent installments of the project will take place in London, Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Kiev, Minsk, Moscow, Tokyo, Beijing and Copenhagen.
The residents of all 12 capitals have a chance to create each of the 12 individual squares of the I, CULTURE puzzle, forming 12, 20x20 metre squares. Each square will be joined up with other squares from different cities to create a huge patchwork quilt initiated by Poland, produced by the world. 240 volunteers will formally represent the Polish capital in each of these 'happenings', which include tailoring and crafts workshops led by Jakubiak presenting the various tools and techniques of art and fashion to examine the role of the craftsman in contemporary culture. How has one of the oldest examples of human handiwork evolved and what is its value in today's global forum? The progress of the project will be observed online on the official website of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council hosted by
www.culture.pl starting mid-June.
During the workshops, participants are encouraged to develop their sewing skills, create their own designs and recycle existing materials. The collaborative experience of this project provides an opportunity to observe a work of art emerging from different places, different people, different tastes and different emotions. Monika Jakubiak, a Polish fashion designer leading the initiative is also geared to launch a public discussion on contemporary craftwork and the role of craftsmen in contemporary culture.
The idea of remaking and recycling objects is an important facet of the workshop. Participants who bring their favorite t-shirts, headscarves, clothes or other textiles can transform these items into new decorative and functional pieces. At the end of the night, all the items will be put together to form one big local pattern; a patchwork of different people and different stories. The event will be recorded and published online on the project website.
Polish "Łucznik" sewing machines will be used during the workshop.
See the official
I, CULTURE websiteI, CULTURE serves as both the flagship project and the catchphrase for the cultural programme of the 2011 Polish Presidency of the EU Council. Organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the I, Culture credo refers most directly to two projects in particular - the I, Culture Orchestra (modeled on the EUYO) and the I, CULTURE crafts project.
I, CULTURE is an invitation for each individual to personally define their views on culture. The workshop aims to make audiences aware of the fact that everyday objects require someone else's skills and effort. Participants can get a sense of what 'creating culture' really means. A piece made by them will employ an readily available for of craftsmanship (i.e. tailoring) to pose the question of what is and what is not a craft and who actually creates culture.
Next Stop - London. Between June 2-3, Londoners can take part in the second installment of the I, CULTURE 'Contemporary Craft Workshop' as part of the National Theatre's Watch This Space Festival in London. The project is supported and co-coordinated by Urban Brew Design. The workshops are part of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute's I, CULTURE weekend. The event also offers festival goers a chance to see preview performances of Teatr Biuro Podróży's (Travel Bureau Theatre) - a spectacular multimedia show inspired by the writings of acclaimed Science Fiction writer Stanisław Lem (June 1-2).
To become an I, CULTURE volunteer, contact urbanbrewdesign@gmail.com
Event takes place on May 14, 2011, at 19:00 - 24:00.
Adam Mickiewicz Institute, ul. Mokotowska 25, Warsaw.
Monika Jakubiak
Polish artist and fashion designer. Born 1970.
Monika Jakubiak started designing at the age of twelve. She began her career in fashion and tailoring shortly after completing secondary school in 1989, working as a seamstress in a factory. Later she got a job in Poznań as a wardrobe assistant for Danuta Stenka and Krystyna Feldman in the New Theatre. She also interned at the city's Teatr Biuro Podróży (Travel Bureau Theatre).
In the mid-1990s she packed up her sewing machine and left for London. There she worked her way up through the fashion ranks, eventually joining the design teams of such successful designers as Clements Ribeiro, Mulligan, Karen Nicol and Hussain Chalayan. Later work with DAKS Simpson and Timothy Everest inspired her fascination with bespoke tailoring. After seven years in the industry, she realised she had to take the next step in her career - even if that meant quitting her job and enrolling in the University of the Arts - Saint Martins - the academic mecca for the fashion industry.
In 2003 she graduated in fashion design from Central St. Martins. Then she moved to India and spent several months honing her craft. Finally, she decided to return to Europe, to Poland. As Jakubiak puts it, it was an 'instinctive' decision. Upon her return she discovered that the popular approach to tailoring different greatly in Poland than in the UK and other places. It appeared that people did not value the craftsmanship of tailoring and Jakubiak decided to start a company that would address this gap. SOULSTITCH specialises in sewing workshops for children and the disabled. Thanks to its role in promoting social innovation, dedicated craftsmanship and the exchange of original ideas, business know-how and information on the skill and creativity of its members, SOULSTITCH has gained a loyal following. Jakubiak's work with the company also resulted in a host of further fruitful collaborations with various museums, galleries and institutions, such as the Tate Britain, Victoria & Albert Museum, Watermans Centre, Virasad Gallery, AFF Stary Browar, DPT Wigry and Zachęta Gallery of Art in Warsaw.
For the past few years Jakubiak has spent two months a year working for the Indian company Jaipur, where she designs seasonal collections for the Anokhi fashion label, often making use of hand-printed fabrics - a treasure that is slowly disappearing in the industrialised world. Monika Jakubiak also contributes to the collections of many prominent design labels, such as Chloé, Vivienne Westwood and Zień Home. Her professional life is her means of linking two disciplines that are often erroneously placed at odds with each other - fashion and the arts.